Future plans for Neric
by Bonasena
Summary: my take on Neric post s9e21


**Post-ep** **. 9x21**

 **Note: I LOVED episode 9e21** **J** **best episode this season.**

 **This is my take on what could happen after the episode ended with Eric and Nell. I like to think that Eric is a really sweet boyfriend but he doesn't always realize what he says, like in his job. I hope I hit the character spot on. Let me know what you think.**

The team stayed at Kensi and Deeks bar until almost midnight. Sam had been the first to leave, shortly after followed by Callen and Hidoko. Eric and Nell had stayed to help with the clean up before leaving. They walked to Nell's car that they had driven to work in this morning.

"do you think Deeks and Kensi will be leaving the team?" Eric asks once they are in the car."

"I don't know. I hope not. Maybe they have realized too that life Is short." Nell says and looks at him with a smile thinking about the plan they made earlier in the day before Hetty interrupted them.

"right," Eric says in relief. Nell starts the engine of the car.

"my place or yours?" Nell asks. Eric doesn't respond right away. "or I can just drive you home." She says a little hesitant when he doesn't answer.

"my place," he says with a smile. "I have some Oreos that are getting lonely." They start laughing.

"okay then." They drive in silence for a while until day stop at a red light. Nell looks over at Eric and notices he look wondering.

"Everything alright?" she asks.

"you said this morning that it was a bad idea for us to spend the night together on a school night. So you can just drop me off if you want to go home to your self-tonight."

"what? no. that was not what I said." The light changes to green and they continue the ride. "you don't want me to come in?" she asks in the dark.

"yes, I do. But you said that it was a bad idea." Eric says feeling confused.

"no, I said costume party on a school night was a bad idea. Us hanging out together is always a great idea." Nell drives into the parking lot in front of Eric's apartment building and parks the car.

"so do you want me to come in or not?" Nell asks. A big smile spreads on Eric's face.

"absolutely." They get out of the car and walk hand in hand up the stairs to his apartment. Once inside Eric switch on the light and they move around in the apartment as if it was an everyday routine for them. After about 15 minutes they are comfortably seated on the couch all snuggled up against each other. Eric has one arm around Nell who is snuggled up against his side with her head on his chest. He leans forward and grabs the tv-remote.

"what do you want to watch?" he asks.

"something Spanish." She says. He looks down at her with a smile.

"what do you think about the idea. We didn't really get to talk about it." He says.

" I think it sounds really great. I think it has been a really difficult year and I think we earned some time together."

"you do realize we spend about 12 hours a day together in the cubicle in ops," Eric says. Nell makes a grimace at him.

"Some time together just the two of us where we are doing something other than stirring at a screen in ops. I want to get out of that cubicle and actually live my life."

"I don't really care where I am or what I do," Eric says and switches position to a more comfortable one.

"isn't that why you have that life reminder on your phone? To remember to live your life," she asks and looks at him wondering. She is now sitting up so she can better look at him.

"yes, but… for the past year, I have realized what makes me happy." He says and leans back into the corner of the couch almost laying down. He looks so relaxed.

"and what is that?"

"you." He simple answers. He turns on the tv. She just looks at him in surprise and is just processing what he just said.

"why do you have that reminder if you already know what makes you happy?" she asks.

"to remind my self how lucky I am to have you in my life. I get to spend so much time with you. After what happened last year I realized that I could have lost you when you got injured in that explosion that made me realize that I need to appreciate every minute I get to spend with you. It doesn't matter what we do or where we could be in Spain or in cubicle OPS. As long as I'm with you." He finishes with a little smile and then turns his attention back to the tv. she rips the remote out of his hand and turns of the tv. He switches his focus back to her with a confused look. She is just stirring at him.

"what?" he asks. "I wanted to watch that."

"you can't say things like that and then just pretend like nothing. That is not fair." He looks confused at her. She almost sounds mad. She leans forward towards him and starts smiling. "that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." She leans into him and kisses him passionately before smiling at him.

"you are really sweet and romantic. You know that?" she says. He is just smiling at her. She looks down for a moment before she speaks again. "but you know, if you don't want to go to Spain we don't have to, but it is really sweet of you to suggest it to cheer me up." She kisses him again before he can say anything.

"I didn't just suggest it to cheer you up. I really do want to go with you. I want to go anywhere with you." Nell lay down with her head on his chest again. She is almost laying on top of him. Eric wraps his arm around her to slowly run his fingers over her skin.

"is there another place you rather want to go than Spain?" she asks while zapping trough tv-channels.

"no. I just want to be with you. But Spain does sound interesting. I have never been there."

"when do you want to go?" she asks.

"tonight?" she immediately looks up at him to see if he is serious." Hetty did just say we should stay until the case was over." Eric points out. Nell gotta admits that was what Hetty had said.

"speaking of Hetty," Eric says and sits up a little more. As much as he can considering that Nell Is halfway laying on him. "she actually interrupted something that I never got to finish." He says with a smile. Nell, at first, is confused until she realizes what he is talking about. He was less than an inch away from kissing her, right there in ops when Hetty walked in. Hetty has always had the most inconvenient timing. "if you don't mind me finishing?" Eric asks. Nell smiles. "not at all." She leans forward and their lips meet in a sweet yet passionate kiss. The kiss ends when they both need air. "that was worth the wait." Nell says and they both smile. "but… she says and looks at his now messy hair where her hands have been messing around. "we need a rule though." He looks a little nervous. "we can't do this at work." She says.

"Nah I agree it would be kinda weird." She looks confused at him. She got the feeling that they are not talking about the same thing.

"what are you talking about?" she asks.

"I mean you are practically laying on top of me. That would be kinda weird to do at work." Nell meant to be serious but his comment is making it kinda hard for her and they both start laughing.

"Seriously Eric?" she is trying hard to stop laughing and get serious again. "I meant we can't kiss each other at work. Today we were lucky it was Hetty who walked in. Next time it could be Mosely. We would both be fired on the spot. So not kissing in the office." She says in a serious tone.

"that is going to be really hard you. You are sitting right next to me and looking so amazing all the time."

She is blushing about his sweet comments. "you are not making this any easier for me. I am trying to be serious but your sweetness is making it really difficult for me."

"I'm sorry."

"don't be. It is really sweet. We just need to set up some rules to prevent another lipstick incident or worst like today." She says. They both remember, what they refer to as "the lipstick incident" where Hetty discovered Nell's lipstick on Eric's lips after they had spent 17 hours together in ops. Eric is slowly drawing circles with his fingertips on her arm. It is distracting her.

"we will figure it out along the way. I mean… Kensi and Deeks did. So can we too." He says optimistically.

Nell nods against his chest.  
"Yeah, I think so. But… just remember… no kissing in the office."

He looks a little disappointed. Nell can't stand that sweet disappointed face he makes. "but you can kiss me now." A big smile spreads on his face.

"deal."


End file.
